LANGUAGE ARTS 1110LANGUAGE ARTS 1110REVIEWING COMMUNICATION SKILLSREVIEWING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

AND LITERATUREAND LITERATURE

Author: Carolyn C. Goodwin, M.Ed.Editor: Alan Christopherson, M.S.Illustrator: Alpha Omega Graphics

CONTENTS

I. ANALYZING WRITTEN WORDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Context Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Prefixes and Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Dictionary Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

II. WRITING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Main Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Subordinate Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Verbal Phrases and Appositives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Sentence Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

III. WRITING EXPOSITORY PROSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Expository Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Research Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Critical Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

IV. EXAMINING THE GENRESOF AMERICAN LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50The Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

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REVIEWING COMMUNICATION SKILLSREVIEWING COMMUNICATION SKILLSAND LITERATUREAND LITERATURE

The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how the English language works, particularly thewritten English language. The pattern of organization for this summary is a process of moving from thesmallest part to the finished whole—from the simple building blocks of words all the way to the massiveliterary structures of novels, plays, and epic poems. This LIFEPAC® will first explain the basic tools of theEnglish language in detail and then demonstrate how to use those tools in the creation of literature itself.These skills are vital to everyone in all phases of life because communication, whether written or oral, isprobably the greatest problem in the world today. Mastering these reading and writing skills will enableyou to successfully communicate with others—in the business world, in college, or in social and personalsituations.

The first section concentrates on words themselves, those fundamental building blocks of all lan-guages. This part of the review highlights the use of words in writing (context skills), the origin of words(prefixes and roots), and lexicography (types, history, and usage of dictionaries).

Section two deals with the sentence, the second step in the writing process, the foundation of all liter-ature that is created from those single building blocks of words. In this segment you will study clauses,independent and subordinate, and modifying phrases of all types. You will also examine in detail the prob-lem areas commonly encountered in composition and discover how to correct those difficulties.

The third section focuses on the review of technical methods involved in the actual writing of threekinds of class papers: expository themes, research papers, and critical analyses. These papers are, obvious-ly, the next step in the language process; they are the structures built upon the foundation of the sentence.

The fourth section of this LIFEPAC reviews four genres of American literature and demonstrates howpoets, playwrights, novelists, and other writers throughout our history have used the basic tools of lan-guage in their work. The immortal structures these great authors have built with those simple tools—Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Wilder’s Our Town, or Frost’s “Birches” are just three examples—are proof enough of the enormous value of mastering the composition and reading of the English language.

OBJECTIVES

Read these objectives. The objectives tell you what you will be able to do when you have successful-ly completed this LIFEPAC.

When you have finished this LIFEPAC, you should be able to:

1. Explain context skills.

2. Identify prefixes and roots.

3. Explain lexicography.

4. Identify main clauses.

5. Define subordinate clauses.

6. Explain modifying phrases.

7. Identify and correct trouble spots within sentences.

8. Describe the process of writing an objective theme.

9. Explain how to compose a research paper using a variety of library sources.

10. Describe the elements of a critical analysis.

11. Identify, explain, and illustrate the genre of drama.

12. Define, discuss, and describe the genre of poetry.

13. Trace the history, development, and elements of the American novel.

14. Identify, define, and explain the genre of nonfiction.

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Survey the LIFEPAC. Ask yourself some questions about this study. Write your questions here.

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I. ANALYZING WRITTEN WORDSI. ANALYZING WRITTEN WORDS

Very often in our reading or listening experiences we come across unfamiliar words. In a speech, a ser-mon, or any other oral presentation the speaker may provide clues through facial expression or body lan-guage. In written work we are deprived of such physical clues. Of course, we could simply ignore thoseunfamiliar words and concentrate on the rest of the meaning. By skipping over unfamiliar words, howev-er, we might misunderstand the rest of the passage. In this section you will review context clues, thoseclues a writer may include as explanatory material, and word construction, the meanings of various ele-ments contained within a particular word. You will review the use of the dictionary as a very helpfulmethod of locating information.

SECTION OBJECTIVES

Review these objectives. When you have completed this section, you should be able to:

1. Explain context skills:1.1 Identify and use several types of context clues.1.2 Tell how to determine whether context clues are sufficient or whether it is necessary to

consult a dictionary.

2. Identify prefixes and roots:2.1 Identify frequently encountered Greek and Latin prefixes and roots.2.2 Define words through the knowledge of Greek and Latin prefixes and roots.

3. Explain lexicography:3.1 Discuss the historical method of compiling a dictionary.3.2 Identify the contributions of Dr. Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and the

Oxford English Dictionary to lexicography.3.3 Explain the purposes of a standard English dictionary.3.4 Identify a dictionary entry as the source for the correct spelling,

pronunciation, grammar function, and definition of a word.3.5 Identify other types of reference dictionaries.

VOCABULARY

Study these words to enhance your learning success in this section.

annotated bibliography etymology synonyms

antonym lexicography thesaurus

context morpheme unabridged

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Complete these activities.

1.1 Using this LIFEPAC or any other source of information, find a direct explanation context clue andwrite it on the lines provided.

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CONTEXT SKILLS

In your reading you may often encounter unfamiliar words. The advice—look up anyword you do not know—certainly is good advice; but it is also time-consuming, sometimeseven unnecessary, because you may already possess the keys for understanding thatword.

Context clue of direct explanation. An important key to discovering the meaningof a new word is by using context clues, the material around the new word that mightsuggest its meaning. Very often a writer will include the definition of a word or phrase asa direct explanation within an appositive immediately following the unfamiliar word.Usually the appositive is set off with either commas or dashes. Many textbooks employthis type of clue.

Example: Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” may be read on one level as aBildungsroman, or a narrative wherein a young person goes from inno-cence to experience of the world.

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Note: All vocabulary words in this LIFEPAC appear in boldface print the first time they are used. If you are unsure of themeaning when you are reading, study the definitions given.

Complete these activities.

1.4 List the circumstances under which you should not use context clues.

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1.2 Using one of the terms in the glossary at the end of this LIFEPAC, compose your own sentencedefining a term by using an appositive phrase.

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Synonym as context clue. A second type of context clue involves the use of one ormore synonyms to restate the meaning of the unfamiliar word. In this way a writer mayprovide clues to atmosphere or mood, often using the context notes either to summarize orto expand the original word. The following sentences use synonyms as context clues.

Examples: The ice pond was coruscant in the starlight; it glimmered, sparkled,nearly danced with thousands of tiny lights. At midday, the desert wasan inferno, an oven on earth.

Limitations of context clues. Although context clues may be quite helpful, do notrely on context clues in all situations. If a word appears frequently and you wish to add itto your own vocabulary, look up the word for an exact dictionary meaning. If the contextclues are inadequate, you should certainly use a dictionary to clarify the meaning. If thesurrounding words are unfamiliar to you, always consult a dictionary.

Complete this activity.

1.3 Decide on a mood (of carnival, terror, climate, etc.), then check a dictionary or a thesaurus,looking for an unfamiliar synonym. Now write an original sentence using the word, defining it withyour sentence so that the entire sentence creates a mood. Have a classmate evaluate your contextclue.

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Helper check ____________________________name

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1.5 When should context clues be used?

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PREFIXES AND ROOTS

In addition to using context clues to determine the meaning of a new word, you mayfind some knowledge of morphemes helpful. In this section you will review Greek andLatin prefixes, or word parts added to the beginning of a word that modify the basic mean-ing of that word, or root. When you are analyzing a word for its components, morphemeswill help you to understand and to remember an unfamiliar word’s meaning. Many collegeplacement tests, such as the ACT and SAT, include a section devoted entirely to vocabularyskills as well as other sections where good reading skills are necessary for a high score.

Greek prefixes. The following chart contains some commonly encountered Greek pre-fixes. Recognizing them in your reading will help you decipher many words.

1.6 List two types of context clues.

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ec-ex-exo-epi-hyper-

poly-syl-sym-syn-en-macro-

a-amphi-cata-dia-pro-

out ofout fromoutsideuponabove, over,more thanordinary

manywith,together

goodlarge, long

notbothdownthroughbefore

en-em-endo-hypo-

mono-anti-a-, an-apo-dys-micro-

meta-pan-para-peri-

intowithinwithinunder,underneath,less than ordinary

oneagainstwithoutaway fromillsmall

acrossallbesidearound, near,enclosing

When You See It Means The Opposite It MeansPrefix is

Not all Greek prefixes have opposite equivalents in English. Notice the following list